Page 35 of The Santas Who Stole Me

“We haven’t had a real tree either. Grams had a small artificial one she decorated with us every year,” I tell her.

“What kind of decorations did you use? Ours were always a mix of random things my parents had picked up and different glass balls. A few I made at school. I have a small storage space back home, I put some things in when my dad died. I paid for it with cash when I had to move, so that it will be there for the next four months. I saved all the decorations.”

“I’m glad you have things to remember them by. What few things we have are with Grams. She lives close by, maybe—” Keeper stops his sentence, but I finish it.

“You can meet her soon.”

“I would love that. I bet she has great stories about you. Oh, please let there be a naked baby picture somewhere.” Georgie’s train of thought must stop because she’s staring at the tree in front of her like it’s made of golden magic.

“Do you like this one?” Zee asks.

“It’s so perfect, but is it too big? Too expensive?”

“If you think it’s perfect then it is. The guys and I will figure out how to load it.” I notice movement to the right as a guy with a plaid shirt and ripped jeans walks up eyeing Georgie, and his gaze stops on that sliver of skin peeking out from her sweater. She notices and glances at her feet, not liking his attention, and I don’t like it when my girl feels uncomfortable.

“We want that one. We’re bringing the truck around to the loading lot.” He looks at me, and I wrap my hand around her, leaving my thumb on the skin his eyes don’t need to be focusing on. I notice the goosebumps that break out on her stomach at the contact. I give him a scathing glare that says fuck you and have a great day before he turns to get what he needs to load the massive tree.

“You good?” My words are whispered in her ear, and then I nip at it with my teeth.

She scrunches her shoulder and laughs at my antics. “So good. I can’t wait to decorate it.” She lets out a little sigh. She is sexy as fuck and sweet as candy at the same time.

Keep hollers at me to come help load up.

“Oh, I’m going to look at those tree toppers while you help the guys.”

I lower my hand down her hip and whip her around to face me. She stops breathing and fuck the electricity that pulses through me at the thought of taking her air. I lean in and let my tongue swipe across her lips. Her mouth opens for me just like I like it. She tastes like candy canes and sex, and I want to swallow her whole.

Keeper hollers again, and I let her go. It’s easy since I know as soon as we get home I’m going to put her under me.

“Pick out a topper, we will be right back.” I glance at the feed on my phone before walking away. No one else is on this side of the warehouse. The guys have the SUV surrounded with bags and boxes to be loaded.

“Did Georgie pick all of this? She’s inside picking out a topper for the tree.” We have more than enough to decorate every inch of the house.

“We had the store manager add to her basket with coordinating items. I hired them to also decorate the outside with lights and those candy canes she liked. They will be out in the morning.” Typical Zee. He probably had a formula for the items per square feet in our house that needed to be covered in order to make Georgie happy.

I appreciate it, and she deserves it. Once loaded Zee asks if there is anything else.

“Let me check on the tree topper.”

“They have delivery for the tree, but it won’t be there until tomorrow. Toss me the keys and we will load it in your truck and take it now.”

I hand Keeper the keys, and he walks around the building to get it. Heading back in to get my girl, I see that dick from earlier has her pressed up against a rack in the corner of the store. Arms are pinned on either side of her head and his hips press into her from behind. I don’t have a moment to feel the rage seeping through my body while my feet move in trained silence. My blood is ice, and I press a little button on my knife. The blade retracts without so much as a click, and I’m on them in seconds.

“Back up,” Georgie tells him.

“Come on, I saw how you were all over those other guys. What’s one more dick for someone like you?”

I reach out to grab the dead fuck by the back of his neck, but before I get the chance, Georgie throws an elbow straight to the gut and stomps on his foot with the heel of her boot.

He hisses in pain and takes a step back, giving her enough space to turn and face him.

The palm of her hand connects with his nose.

“That’s my girl.” I grab him away from her and shove a knife into his kidney. He crumples to the ground when I release him. I step over the fucker, leaving my knife in his worthless skin.

Georgie gasps but has a faint smirk. She did good and she knows it.

“I knew you were close, and I wouldn’t get hurt.”